It is to be appreciated that any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the present invention. Further, the discussion throughout this specification comes about due to the realisation of the inventor and/or the identification of certain related art problems by the inventor. Moreover, any discussion of material such as documents, devices, acts or knowledge in this specification is included to explain the context of the invention in terms of the inventor's knowledge and experience and, accordingly, any such discussion should not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms part of the prior art base or the common general knowledge in the relevant art in Australia, or elsewhere, on or before the priority date of the disclosure and claims herein.
A bicycle trainer is a piece of equipment for riding a bicycle while it remains stationary. Bicycle trainers permit practice of cycling skills.
This is useful for cyclists to train—particularly when riding conditions are poor if they are carrying an injury. It also allows the cyclist to perform other activities such as watching TV, and avoids the need to concentrate on road conditions or obstacles.
One of the oldest types of bicycle trainers comprises three rollers (two for the rear wheel and one for the front), on top of which the bicycle rides. A belt connects one of the rear rollers to the front roller, causing the front wheel of the bicycle to spin when the bicycle is pedaled. The spacing of bicycle rollers can usually be adjusted to match the bicycle's wheelbase with the front roller located slightly ahead of the hub of the front wheel. Because balance is required to keep the bicycle on the rollers they are often used by bicycle racers to finely tune their balance, which is an important skill for drafting and peloton riding. However, often cyclists do not need or want to practice this skill prefer the more stable bicycle trainers.
A bicycle trainer consists of a frame, a clamp to hold the bicycle securely, a roller that presses up against the rear wheel, and a mechanism that provides resistance when the pedals are turned. Trainers require better technique and better body position than stationary bicycles, while providing a more realistic feeling. Some trainers are equipped with sensors that monitor various ride parameters such as power output, cadence, virtual speed and heart rate. Measuring these parameters can help to fine-tune the athlete's training.
In a wind trainer, the cyclist's leg power drives fan blades that create air resistance which is transmitted to the rear tire. Resistance increases with the cyclist's speed. However, there is an upper limit to the resistance and wind trainers are relatively noisy.
Magnetic bicycle trainers have magnets that resist each other and a magnetic flywheel creates the resistance on the rear wheel—some with handlebar-mounted control boxes for changing the level of resistance during a training session. While these trainers are nearly silent in operation, the resistance has an upper limit and they are prone to breaking.
Fluid bicycle trainers combine a magnetic flywheel with liquid-filled chambers to create resistance. They are nearly silent with the advantage of adding progressive resistance. However, repeated friction, heating and consequential expansion and contraction of the fluid tends to cause the seals to leak.
A small number of trainers use a centrifugal pressure mechanism to create resistance, the pressure mechanism comprising pressure plates, ball bearings and specially shaped grooves. These are nearly silent and resistance curves may be adjusted by the user.
More recently virtual reality trainers have been used to create a very comprehensive simulator. Virtual reality simulators allow the rear wheel to sit on a motorized roller while the front fork fits in a frame equipped with steering sensors, the whole system being linked to a computer with ‘virtual world’ software. The riders steers through as virtual world and pedaling gets harder (the motorized roller ‘loads’ the rear wheel) when going uphill. The sophistication of the computer system allows it to be linked to the internet to provide additional information. While this type of trainer provides abundant mental stimulation, the computer hardware and software is expensive and requires extensive computer hardware.
Usually all trainers can be adjusted for most sizes of road and mountain bikes. However, the knobby tires typically used on mountain bikes cause vibration and noise, defeating the purpose of noiseless units. Furthermore, trainers which use rollers to contact the rear wheel of a bicycle tend to impart excessive load on the wheel axle with concomitant heating and uneven wear on the tyre. Uneven tyre wear tends to put the trainer out of balance, with concomitant bearing damage as the load comes off the spokes. As a result the trainer starts to move, increasing noise and wear on the bearings, tyre, hub and spokes. The debrading of rubber and distortion of tyre shape is a particular problem for racing tyres, which often end up with a square cross section instead of curved.